British & Irish Lions: To Start First Test Odds

Owen Farrell has been shipped into Australia to provide cover for the British & Irish Lions but is still not expected to start the first Test at 8/1.

William Hill’s ‘To Start First Test’ sports betting market makes Finn Russell a strong fancy retain the 10 shirt at 4/11, with Fin Smith his most likely replacement at 5/2, while Farrell and Marcus Smith are both 8/1 to start at fly-half on Saturday 19th July.

Farrell, who has not played international rugby for almost two years, is also quoted at 10/1 to slot into a centre partnership for the first Test at the Suncorp Stadium.

Bet on the British & Irish Lions tour at William Hill

Jac Morgan was the big winner from Wednesday’s victory over the Queensland Reds according to William Hill, who have cut him to 5/4 (from 7/4) to start in the first Test in the back-row.

Fullback still looks up for grabs, with Blair Kinghorn narrowly favoured at 1/2 over Hugo Keenan who’s 13/8 in the rugby union odds. The competition for the starting props is also a tight one, Andrew Porter (4/7) and Will Stuart (8/11) both look the likeliest, but they’re closely trailed by Ellis Genge at 5/4 and Tadhg Furlong who’s 6/4.

Spokesperson for William Hill, Lee Phelps, said: “Owen Farrell is in the Lions camp but we don’t expect him to be get his paws on the 10 shirt straight away.

“Finn Russell remains a firm favourite to play fly-half in the first Test at 4/11, and if he doesn’t shake off the injury sustained against the Reds then Fin Smith is a clear second favourite for the 10 shirt at 5/2.

“There are still three warm-up games to come through first, though, and given the knocks sustained already, Farrell to start the first Test at 8/1 (fly-half) or 10/1 (full back) might shorten before Saturday 19th July.”

British & Irish Lions Tour 2025 – Specials

With the first Test match fast approaching, punters can bet on which players will start for the British & Irish Lions against Australia in the opener – and you can see the current state of the market below:

To Start First Test – Back Row:

• Josh van der Flier – 4/11
• Tom Curry – 8/13
• Jack Conan – 4/6
• Jac Morgan – 5/4
• Ben Earl – 6/4
• Henry Pollock – 13/8

To Start First Test – Centre:

• Sione Tiupulotu – 4/11
• Huw Jones – 1/2
• Bundee Aki – 11/8
• Garry Ringrose – 7/4
• Owen Farrell – 10/1

To Start First Test – Fly-Half:

• Finn Russell – 4/11
• Fin Smith – 5/2
• Owen Farrell – 8/1
• Marcus Smith – 8/1

To Start First Test – Fullback:

• Blair Kinghorn – 8/13
• Hugo Keenan – 6/5
• Marcus Smith – 10/1

To Start First Test – Hooker:

• Dan Sheehan – 1/16
• Luke Cowan-Dickie – 9/1
• Ronan Kelleher – 12/1

To Start First Test – Prop:

• Andrew Porter – 4/7
• Will Stuart – 8/11
• Ellis Genge – 5/4
• Tadhg Furlong – 6/4
• Finlay Bealham – 9/1
• Pierre Schoeman – 12/1

To Start First Test – Scrum Half:

• Jamison Gibson-Park – 1/5
• Alex Mitchell – 7/2
• Ben White – 6/1

To Start First Test – Second Row:

• Maro Itoje – 1/20
• Tadhg Beirne – 1/5
• Joe McCarthy – 5/2
• Ollie Chessum – 5/1
• James Ryan – 10/1
• Scott Cummings – 20/1

To Start First Test – Wing:

• Tommy Freeman – 1/5
• James Lowe – 3/10
• Duhan van der Merwe – 2/1
• Mack Hansen – 7/2
• Blair Kinghorn – 4/1

*Odds subject to change – prices accurate at time of writing*